Coping with a peeing cat

One of Kitty Korner’s readers has almost given up hope. Seems she has a wonderful feline companion–but a feline companion who has developed a bad habit of peeing on stuff.

The trouble started when a new roomie moved in. The roomie’s shirts, socks and other personal effects were targeted. To keep peace the cat was relocated to a boyfriend’s apartment. And, yep, you guessed it: Now the kitty is peeing on the boyfriend’s clothes, too, and the boyfriend is ready to give the feline the boot unless the situation improves mighty quick.

The blog reader tells us she has tried everything from vet visits to scolding to litterbox super-scooping. But nothing seems to work. She’s completely at a loss. “Is there something–anything–I can do to help my cat?” she asks.

Seeking professional advice, we turned to behaviorist Pam Johnson-Bennett’s informative book, “Think Like a Cat,” (Penguin Books, $16.95). The feline behaviorist writes that the unexpected addition of a new person to the household can be very alarming to an animal. The cat is faced with the intrusion of a new person and the new person’s unfamiliar belongings as well. The environment is literally turned upside down. And hiss! Kitty doesn’t like it.

The situation’s even worse if the cat is suddenly uprooted and deposited in a strange new household. Being a territorial creature, the feline is confused by the change and fearful for a while. Any unfamiliar person is suspect. And if the person “steals” the affections of the former owner, jealousy often rears its ugly head and is exhibited in the only way the animal knows how: through primitive reactions such as biting, scratching and peeing.

Leaving a mark on the interloper or the interloper’s property becomes the cat’s natural way of retaliation for the discomfort that has been caused. It makes perfect sense to the cat, probably. And time, patience and love are the best and maybe the only ways to turn the situation around.

So, to begin with, dear blog reader, don’t punish your poor kitty for peeing. Rubbing his nose in it as a way of discipline will just add to his frustration and maybe make him more vindictive. Instead, start an intensive campaign to reassure your cat and keep him happily occupied.Urge the boyfriend to be extra kind, understanding and gentle. Get him to coax the kitty to play a bit with a favorite interactive toy. Get him to brush the cat and offer tempting treats. Tell him to keep on trying to make friends. Some people, trying to accustom their pets to new people, even rub the pets’ fur with an item the new individual has worn. In this way, scents mingle and become less intimidating.

Though your boyfriend is weary of wet and soggy things around the place, ask him to count to ten and think how hard it must be for the uprooted cat. The animal is trying to cope with a whole new dynamic: a man, other pets, and an apartment that just doesn’t smell like home quite yet.

You also must try to spend a little more time with your cat. Pet the kitty when you go over to your boyfriend’s apartment. Bring some special food or a catnip mouse to capture the animal’s interest and get him to come out from hiding under the bed. Such special treats could work wonders and go a long way toward soothing the cat’s fears and his damaged ego.

It may not happen overnight, but with effort on your part and the part of that man in your life, it’s very likely that kitty will eventually come around. Just keep on assuring your jealous and unhappy pet in every way possible that he still has a major role in your life. And with determination, devotion and a little luck your kitty’s bad peeing behavior may stop.

Rose Mary Budge Budge

3 Responses

Thank you so much for looking into it. I can honestly let you know that he is behaving. He has had no more accidents since I told him that I wrote about him to your website. I did rub my boyfriends clothes on him and my boyfriend has petted him and has fed him and he feels more in control, along with my boyfriends cat.

My boyfriend is talking to him and letting him know that he appreciates him using his cat box.

Once again, thank you so much.

As for the roommate, he will no longer be an issue because our lease is up and I know that my cat feels comfortable with my boyfriend, since we [my cat and I] have been moving in.